Goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm and his agent have been in HCM City ahead of a return to the V.League 1. — Photo vietnamnet.vn

Football

HÀ NỘI — Goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm is set for a return to V.League 1 after touching down in HCM City with his agent.

It is highly likely the Cerezo Osaka Club keeper will leave Japan and sign for Bình Định Football Club.

Coach Nguyễn Đức Thắng said negotiations have reached the final stages, and the club even paid for Lâm’s airfare.

According to zingnews.vn, the Vietnamese goalkeeper is likely to sign a two-year contract and his salary will be highest in the team.

Lâm is expected to wear the No 35 jersey and will be registered for the second phase of this year’s V.League. He is expected to play before August 17 when the tournament’s transfer market closes.

Lâm joined Cerezo Osaka in the J1 League in 2021 and was granted a one-year contract extension in early 2022.

But regular first-team action has alluded the stopper, so he has decided to return to Việt Nam to find his form and continue his impressive form with the national team.

Before joining the Japanese club, Lâm made just 12 appearances for Muangthong United in one Thai League 1 season that was shortened due to the pandemic.

Lâm, whose father is Vietnamese and mother is Russian, was born in Moscow. He began his career with Hoàng Anh Gia Lai and was a key part of Park Hang-seo’s national team squad.

He made significant contributions to Việt Nam’s triumph in the AFF Cup 2018, qualifying for the 2019 Asian Cup quarter-finals, and in the 2022 World Cup AFC qualifiers. So far, Lâm has had more than 20 caps for the Vietnamese national team.

In June 2019, Muangthong United completed the signing of Lâm from Hải Phòng FC for a fee of US$500,000. VNS